Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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679. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to extend the pandemic unemployment payment and employment wage subsidy scheme for the entertainment sector until mass gatherings are permitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17107/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The introduction of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) in March last year was one of the key targeted measures taken by Government to support employees and the self-employed who lost employment as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last week, payments of the PUP issued to almost 450,00 people and to date expenditure on the scheme has been some €6.5 billion. Government has confirmed that the PUP scheme will remain open until 30th June 2021 providing greater certainty for employees and businesses who continue to be most impacted.

To be eligible to apply for PUP an employee must have been temporarily laid off or lost their employment as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 emergency and are not in receipt of employment income. A self-employed person's trading income must have ceased or reduced to €960 over an 8 week period due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The PUP Scheme will continue to be kept under review and future decisions by Government will be informed by the trajectory of the pandemic and the evolving public health situation.

I trust that this clarifies the position at this time.